8-year-old O.C. boy killed, mom injured at Ensenada race

SAN CLEMENTE – An 8-year-old Orange County boy was killed and his mother was injured Sunday while watching the Baja 500 off-road race in Ensenada, Mexico.

The boy was identified as Xander Hendriks, son of Brandon Hendriks, a youth pastor at San Clemente-based Pacific Coast Church, church officials said in a statement Monday. The boy’s mother, Melissa Hendriks, was also hurt, the statement said.

The boy was struck by racer Todd Pedersen of Orem, Utah, while Pedersen was negotiating a turn, according to a statement from Score International, the race sponsor.

Xander was pronounced dead on arrival at an Ensenada hospital while his mother was listed in stable condition with head and leg injuries, the statement said.

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